From NFL Setback to National Educator: Meet Robert Jackson and his Blueprint for Student Success
We are honored to feature Robert Jackson as part of our August Education Series, celebrating educators who are shaping the future of learning. He's helping educators see the potential in every child, build connections rooted in love, trust, and fairness, and turn challenges into opportunities for growth—transforming his personal struggles into a lifelong ministry of hope and empowerment in education.
What personal experiences most inspired your mission to educate, activate, and motivate educators, parents, and students?
As a student growing up in poverty in a violent, low income neighborhood, I felt like most of the educators who came into contact with me and my classmates didn't understand how to educate, activate and motivate us to be great. I felt belittled, dehumanized and marginalized on many occasions. I wanted to change the narrative, so now I teach educators and administrators how to work with kids like me as a kid.
How do you guide educators to positively influence and impact students and staff in lasting ways?
I explain to them what impact means and how it can have a postive or negative affect on students and others. I encourage them to seek wholeness so they can not only be better for everyone else, but be even better for themselves. I remind them that every kid they come into contact with has the potential to be something great. Don't lower your expectations just because they are lacking resources. Lacking resources means they are socially and economically disadvantaged, not failures or unable to learn.
What role do love, trust, and fairness play in building stronger connections within schools and communities?
They play major roles. The 6 core values of connection are love, trust, fairness, support, accountability and safety. Love starts with self love. When I love myself, I can be open to love others. Fairness means leaving no kid behind and respecting every child we work with and meeting them where they are. Kids don't always remember what you taught them, but they remember how you made them feel. Strong connections with families and schools without judgement builds stronger communities. Working together is key!
What do you see as the most pressing challenges facing educators and families today, and how can we work together to address them?
The biggest challenge is the economy and cost of everything. Educators and students are facing a lot of interference and noise from the outside with the education process, including the freezing of federal funds that assist kids with food, resources and programming. There is a teacher shortage. More emphasis and resources need to go into that area of expertise. Educators are in need of meaningful professional development. Students are in need of student assemblies that allow them to explore and learn the best versions of themselves. Parents need encouragement, not judgement. There is no such thing as a perfect parent, teacher, administrator or student. We need to give each other grace.
What continues to drive your passion for this work, and what is your highest hope for the future of education?
What drives me is the educators, parents, students and school leaders striving for answers to get it right. I'm on a mission to give them the piece that they are missing to be successful at what they do. This is not a job for me. It's a ministry. I receive 100s of messages, encouraging me to continue to reach the masses. That keeps me going! My hope is that every educator that I come into contact with has peace, joy, security, identity, relationships, purpose and finances to keep it going. Educators should be paid more than what they are making.
How can GlobalMindED support leaders like yourself in achieving your goals and advancing your aspirations?
Continue to provide platforms like this one sending good information to the masses. I want your readers to know they matter! Their work matters! Their passion and energy matters and is not golng unnoticed. I would love to speak at one of your future conferences to spread some positive light and energy to participants.
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